| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 化學系 === 103 === The purpose of this study was to explore: 1. the influence of the teaching strategy of POEC (prediction-observation-explanation-conclusion) and the cooperative learning approach for the unit “Atom and Molecule” on eighth graders’ learning effects; 2. the participation of the teacher professional learning community in collaborative lesson planning for this teaching-learning model; and 3. the attitude of students in the experimental group toward this model. The quasi-experimental method was adopted, with subjects comprising two classes of eighth graders in the junior high school where the researcher teaches. One class was used as the experimental group, undergoing the cooperative learning approach and the POEC teaching strategy developed by the teacher professional learning community of the school, while the other class was designated as the control group with the traditional teaching method. The teaching unit was Unit Six “Atom and Molecule” of the physics-chemistry course for the first semester of the eighth grade in junior high school. There were 6 sessions in total for teaching this unit.
The research tools included: “Atom and Molecule Learning Test”, “Questionnaire of Teachers’ Participation in the Collaborative Lesson Planning for the POEC Teaching Strategy and Cooperative Learning”, “Questionnaire of Students’ Attitude toward the POEC Teaching Strategy and Cooperative Learning”, as well as a semi-structured interview. Both the pre-test and post-test were conducted, with the results quantitatively analyzed to understand the learning effects of both groups that received different teaching methods. A retention-test and semi-structured interviews were later performed to understand how well the students in the experimental group learned material from the “Atom and Molecule” unit. In the end, the results of the questionnaires of students’ attitude toward the POEC teaching strategy and cooperative learning were collected and analyzed.
The research findings were as follows: 1. In general, the difference in the “Atom and Molecule” unit post-test scores and the progress in scores between the experiment group and the control group reached a significant level, indicating that the POEC teaching strategy and the cooperative learning approach can better elevate students’ learning effect and their understanding of complex science concepts than the traditional teaching method. 2. The different progress in scores among high-achievers, intermediate-achievers and low-achievers in each group did not reach a significant level. 3. As for the equivalents of both groups, the high-achievers of both groups did not show significant differences in the progress of their scores while the intermediate-achievers and the low-achievers between the two groups exhibited a significant difference in the progress of their scores, suggesting that the POEC teaching strategy and the cooperative learning approach help to improve the learning effects of the intermediate-achievers and low-achievers. 4. It is suggested that teachers adopt and promote the POEC teaching strategy and the cooperative approach in the teaching of other units. 5. Most students liked the POEC teaching and the cooperative learning approach, and they could enhance the learning effects of the whole class.
Based on above findings, suggestions are proposed at the conclusion of this study to serve as a reference for the improvement of current junior high school science teaching, as well as for relevant research in the future.
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